Indiana Sire Stakes champions Mya Tri and siblings ABC Mercedes and ABC Bay Bee saw their first action over Hoosier Park’s oval Tuesday as each of the trio qualified with impressive efforts. Both Mya Tri and ABC Mercedes will be stepping up to the open ranks this season after successful 3-year-old campaigns.
Mya Tri, who grabbed headlines while winning 21 straight contests to start her career, easily won her qualifier by 5 1/2 lengths for driver Walter Haynes Jr. The Pining Fora Tri mare, owned by Haynes and breeder Bob Wientjes, trotted the mile in 2:01.3 despite windy conditions.
“That head wind was wicked,” commented Haynes. “But she was pretty handy today. I’ve gone in two minutes with her. That was a pretty good mile for her coming back.”
Trained by Haynes’s wife, Sara, Mya Tri swept both ISS finals at two, only to return at three and do the same. With nearly $153,000 in earnings last season, and a 1:56.1 mark to her credit, the mare will be in tough from the start, debuting next week in the invitational trot. “She’ll have to go in the top class,” said Haynes. “I’m anxious to see how she does. Nobody really tested her last year.” The results were similar for ABC Mercedes, 2008 Indiana Trotter of the Year, as he cruised to an easy 9 1/2-length victory Tuesday. Trainer Joe Putnam sat behind the ABC Garland gelding, who stopped the clock in 1:59. The four-time ISS champion is owned by Larry Miller. Incidentally, ABC Mercedes’ older sister, 5-year-old ABC Bay Bee, clocked a 1:59.1 effort to lead off qualifying, winning by 15 1/2 lengths for Putnam. “They’ve both been training back well. They each have a lot of miles in them already,” Putnam said. “It wasn’t the best day. Considering the conditions, they both went good miles.” Last season ABC Mercedes won 10 of 11 starts, banking just over $160,000 while taking his mark of 1:53.1 in his last start in a late-closer at The Red Mile. His lone defeat came in the World Trotting Derby when the gelding broke stride at the start and was never a factor. Putnam is optimistic ABC Mercedes can make a successful transition to the open ranks, which he will do next week when he makes his first seasonal start. “He’s a very good horse, no doubt about it. We’ve got high hopes, and I think he’ll be competitive,” the trainer commented. “There will be a little bit of a learning curve for him. Fortunately, in his 2- and 3-year-old campaigns there were only two or three horses he had to beat. Now, every horse he lines up against will be good.” Putnam is looking forward to getting back in the mix as well. The veteran was sidelined nearly all of last year after being injured in a racing accident at Hoosier Park. He never had a chance to race ABC Mercedes or his full sister, turning over the reins to Mark O’Mara while he recovered. “It’s good to be back, let’s put it that way,” Putnam added. “Last year was a tough year for me personally from that respect. It was tough to miss pretty much the whole season. It’s definitely nice to be back driving horses.”--By James Platz
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